About Australian Workers Heritage Centre
The Australian Workers Heritage Centre is a national museum in Barcaldine, Queensland, dedicated to telling the story of Australian working men and women. Located on Ash Street in the town centre, it commemorates Barcaldine's role in the 1891 shearers' strike and the history of the Australian labour movement. The centre features extensive indoor and outdoor exhibits, heritage buildings, and displays on trades, unions and rural working life.
Visitors guide
Visitors can expect a large indoor and outdoor museum complex with 14 exhibition spaces, heritage buildings, and landscaped grounds. Displays cover the 1891 Great Shearers' Strike, working life in pastoral, mining, railway and other industries, and stories of Australian workers. The site includes historic huts, machinery, photographs, artefacts and interpretive panels. Visitors can explore at their own pace or join a guided tour, with a gift shop and cafe on site.
Key highlights
- 01
Exhibitions dedicated to the 1891 Great Shearers' Strike and Barcaldine's role in Australian labour history
- 02
14 themed exhibition galleries covering pastoral, railway, mining and other working histories
- 03
Outdoor heritage village with historic buildings, shearers' huts and vintage machinery
- 04
Displays on the Tree of Knowledge and its association with the formation of the Australian Labor movement